


I'm Proud of You

by P_A_U_S_E



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: 20Gayteen really showed out, Andi - Freeform, Autumn-Winter, Buffy and Cyrus scenes, Buffy hasn't moved yet, Cyrus wearing TJ's clothes, I have no idea what I'm doing???, I'm soft for Tyrus, Jonah is straight rip, M/M, Slowwwww Burnnnnn, Swing Sets™, TJ is bi fight me, Tyrus - Freeform, a little angsty, buffy - Freeform, fall activities, lots of hugs, lots of smiles, mentions of Muffy, mentions of Wandi, mentions of one-sided Jandi, multi-chapter, pining!TJ + oblivious!Cyrus, sweaters & hot chocolate, symptoms of panic attacks from Jonah if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-15 16:45:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/P_A_U_S_E/pseuds/P_A_U_S_E
Summary: It shouldn’t be a big deal that he wanted to be friends with TJ. He seemed like he needed one, and remembering how TJ’s warm laugh made the weather a bit more bearable at the park earlier, Cyrus decided that he had no problem trying to fill that role.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I’m really soft for Tyrus. I know how horrible TJ’s treated Buffy, but I do feel a redemption arc coming. Don’t forget, he is in middle school, so he isn’t a supervillain. 
> 
> To anyone who’s made fanart, fanfics, moodboards, headcanons and even more Tyrus related stuff, I appreciate you so much. I’ve read almost every Tyrus fanfic on this website and other places and I’m so excited to see more. 
> 
> Also if you can, I suggest listen to the song “Proud of You” by a l e x on repeat as you read this. It’s what I did when writing it.

TJ shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to keep warm. Autumn had begun its slow descent into winter and he was paying for it. His ears were red at its tips due to the lack of hood on his green sweater and his hands were cold in their own right.

Sighing, TJ kicked at the multicolored leaves, all mixes of reds and oranges, before settling onto a swing. Instead of swinging, he leaned forward, removing his hands from his pockets and rubbing them together quickly, trying to regain the heat he had just lost.

TJ’s gaze shifted to his left. The swing next to him was empty, swaying slightly against the autumn breeze.

“Hey! Not-So-Scary Basketball Guy!” Something resembling the Michelin Tires mascot walked towards him, holding what appeared to be a thermos in its hand. TJ squinted as the figure got closer. _Cyrus._ His face was one of the only things visible, except for the few strands of brown hair that escaped the various assortments of hats he was sporting. But why was he bundled up like that?

The shorter boy closed the distance between the two of them, struggling a bit to fit on the once empty swing.

“What’s with all the clothes?” TJ asked.

“It’s cold,” Cyrus answered, unscrewing the metal cap of the thermos and raising it to his lips, “Pneumonia isn’t on my list of things to get.” TJ let out a little laugh at the joke, his breath fanning out in front of him.

“It’s not even that cold,” TJ replied, jestering to himself and his a-bit-too-thin sweater. He was cold, slightly shivering in fact, but Cyrus didn’t have to know that. “Plus you’re probably gonna get a heat stroke wearing all of that.” Cyrus seemed to consider that, his head tilted slightly to the side, before reaching over and handing TJ the light green thermos. The heat from the container instantly sent warmth through his fingertips and eventually through his hands.

“You can have some if you’d like.” Cyrus said, shedding some of his coats until an orange sweater with white flaps folded over the neckline was the only layer that was left, “It’s hot chocolate, one of my specialties.”

TJ looked down at it before deciding to take a sip. It was amazing. The hot liquid soothed TJ’s throat and made his stomach warm. He could definitely taste how sweet it was. And a hint of cinnamon? TJ took one more sip, savoring the taste of it before saying,

“You really like chocolate don’t you?” 

“What can I say?” Cyrus smiled, pushing back against the swing,  “Chocolate and I have a budding relationship. You could say we’re choco-lovers.”

TJ stared at him, then snickered, which turned into a full-blown laugh. The chains that held up the swing shuddered under his weight as he continued to laugh.

“Wait, was it really that funny?” Cyrus’ tone was unbelieving, “I’ve been saving that one all year...”

“Yeah,” TJ began to recover, his laughter dying out, “it was pretty good.”

Cyrus let out a satisfactory hum, nodding a bit before pulling his phone from his pocket.

“Shoot.”

“What?”

Cyrus’ eyebrows were knitted together, as he took one more glance at the screen before saying,

“It’s Buffy. She wants to meet up at The Spoon.” TJ tried not to let the disappointment get to him as Cyrus rose from the swing and begun to shoulder on all of his jackets. TJ stood up as well, running his thumbs against the now lukewarm surface of the thermos. He handed it back to Cyrus, who gave him a grateful smile in return. 

“You can come too... if you want.” Cyrus added. TJ shook his head before Cyrus got his entire sentence out, cringing at the idea of having to sit with Buffy over milkshakes and baby taters. He had a tendency of lashing out when he was near her, which was something he definitely wasn’t proud of. 

“I’m sure she wouldn’t want me there,” TJ said, “You should just go, you’ll have more fun that way.”

Cyrus looked as if he was stuck at a crossroad, looking at TJ and then ahead of him. He eventually started to walk away, his low boots shuffling against the fallen leaves. Cyrus stopped in his tracks and turned around.

“Bye TJ.” The look on his face made TJ pause. Cyrus looked regretful, as if he was sad he couldn’t stay any longer. His gaze was soft against the red and orange rays of the afternoon sun, and all TJ could do was stare back, noticing how Cyrus’ eyes resembled the warm chocolate he had the honor of tasting before, with flecks of gold like the hints of cinnamon found in the cozy drink.

TJ blinked, noticing the slight downward tug at Cyrus’ lips. He coughed and smiled,

“See you, Underdog.”

Cyrus seemed satisfied with the goodbye and returned TJ’s smile.

Cyrus walked away, not turning back this time, before eventually disappearing amongst the trees. TJ stared after him, listening until the faint crunch of Cyrus’ shoes against the leaves faded.

TJ sighed and sat back on the swing, pulling his legs back and forth until he was swinging with a gentle rhythm.

He didn’t feel so cold anymore.

 

—

—

 

“Cyrus,” Buffy called from a booth near the back of the diner. Cyrus took the seat across from the curly-haired girl, and started to pull off his excessive layers. TJ was right, it really wasn’t _that_ cold. He did tend to over prepare for things, but was that really such a bad thing? Cyrus could tell TJ looked uncomfortably cold earlier. Maybe he should have lended him one of his jackets? But then again, they probably wouldn’t fit and…

“Hello? Baby tater to Cyrus?” Buffy waved a baby tater in front of his face, causing him to blink out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“What was that?” Buffy squinted at him, popping the baby tater into her mouth.

“What was what?” Cyrus replied, grabbing a small tater tot from the basket and dipped it into his chocolate milkshake before chewing on it slowly.

“That…” Buffy paused before saying, “That _look_. What were you thinking about?” 

“Nothing, I wasn’t...”

“Hey, Cy-Guy! Buffy!” Jonah’s cheery voice interrupted Cyrus’ soon-to-be interrogation and he allowed himself to slump against the booth’s cushion, letting out a relieved sigh. It wasn’t like he was thinking about anything bad, but he knew Buffy didn’t like TJ, and any mention of him would make their meetup sour on her part.

Jonah slid into the seat next to Buffy, making the girl scoot closer to the window. “What’s up?”

They started to chat back and forth, Buffy taking the backseat of the conversation and turning her attention to her phone. She told them that Andi would be there soon, mentioning something about her finishing a craft of some sort.

Jonah filled the silence by talking about music or something like that, Cyrus wasn’t sure. He wasn’t really paying attention, but he couldn’t help it. Jonah seemed excited about whatever he was going on about, his face had excitement written all over it and his dimples were especially apparent in the sunlight that floated through the window.

Cyrus played with his hands under the table, his stomach was in knots. Jonah didn’t stop talking, and Cyrus wasn’t sure he’d ever want him to.  

“Hey guys,” Cyrus blinked, he didn’t even notice Andi walk over to them. She moved into the seat next to him and placed her bag near her feet. Jonah visibly tensed, looking anywhere but the short haired girl. 

Buffy looked up at them, sharing a knowing look with Cyrus before staring back down at her phone. She smiled widely before beginning to tap rapidly against the screen. Cyrus and Andi exchanged a look while Jonah looked confused, glancing between them and then back at Buffy. 

“Ooo, who are we texting?” Andi had a teasing smile on her face.

“Marty,” Buffy rolled her eyes, shutting her phone off and placing it on the surface of the table, “he’s so stupid.”

“Uh huh,” Cyrus joined in with the teasing, “Stupid as in cute or stupid as in stupid?”

“Stupid as in stupid.” Buffy didn’t miss a beat, tapping her finger against the back of her phone, “He plays too much.”

“By ‘plays too much’, I’m sure you mean flirts a lot. And you flirt right back, you’re not so innocent in all of this.” Andi let out a little laugh.

“Oh, _you’re_ one to talk,” Buffy shot back, the smile on her face unfading, “you and Walker are a _whole_ ‘nother thing.”

The happy atmosphere of their little booth seemed to drop in less than five seconds. Andi started mixing the remains of her milkshake around with a straw, her eyes locked onto it while Jonah just stared down at the table, a look crossing his features. Cyrus wasn’t sure what it was, but it made his heart ache. Buffy must’ve realized she had said something wrong, and steered the focus of the conversation away from the two. 

“So Cyrus, where were you earlier?” Cyrus groaned loudly, taking a long sip from his milkshake. This got the attention of Andi and Jonah, who both, in turn, turned their attention to Cyrus.

“The park.” Cyrus answered, really not trying to reveal anymore information. He was just at the park with TJ for not even that long. Why did it have to be a big secret?

Buffy raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth before getting cut off by a cough from Jonah.

“So, did you guys do the math homework yet?” Cyrus sent him a grateful look. Jonah Beck really was something else.

Buffy looked surprised and started to speak before Andi caught on, mentioning how she was almost done with it. The two of them continued their conversation and Buffy eventually joined in with them. Cyrus relaxed in his seat. 

It shouldn’t be a big deal that he wanted to be friends with TJ. He seemed like he needed one, and remembering how TJ’s warm laugh made the weather a bit more bearable at the park earlier, Cyrus decided that he had no problem trying to fill that role. Not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last episode had me shook, but I kinda wish the Tyrus scenes were a bit longer.
> 
> Also, do you guys prefer long or short chapters? Let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so relieved to finally have this chapter out. I’m sorry if it's not too long. I typed it on Google Docs which makes the chapter look longer on there than when I transfer it over here.
> 
> I started writing this before “Keep A Lid On It” (which was wildddd), so anything that happened in that episode and the one before hasn’t, or may never happen in this story, it really depends...

Cyrus didn’t understand basketball, or any sport for that matter. All he knew was that there were two teams who chased a ball and tried to put it into a hoop for some odd reason. It was confusing, even when Buffy tried explaining it to him for the hundredth time the other day. Halfway through her lengthy explanation about what counted as a foul and what didn’t, Cyrus decided he wanted nothing more to do with sports. So why was he watching one?

The answer to his question ran up to the basketball hoop, making a layup before a member Cyrus assumed was on the opposite team, ran the ball to the other end of the outdoor court. At least he learned _something_ from Buffy’s rant. Shadyside had community basketball games every Saturday, and Buffy had complained that TJ was at _every one_. The only reason she wasn’t playing that day was that she didn’t want her last few weeks to be “spoiled with his presence”.

Cyrus hadn’t even planned on being there, it was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing. He had finished all of his homework the night before, so he was completely free. Although he might have left that detail out when he told Andi and Buffy he’d be busy that day. They probably wouldn’t want to hang out with TJ anyway, which happened to be the main thing on Cyrus’ agenda.

  
TJ looked like he was in his element, racing across the court to try to steal the ball back. He didn’t seem bothered by the cold, unlike Cyrus who was huddled in his thick grey sweater and a beanie his mom had knitted. The weather had cooled down since the last time they spoke, the only thing making it remotely warm was the sun that shone through the clouds and the pure adrenaline that pumped through the court. The steel bleachers Cyrus was sitting on wasn’t making it any better, it’s surface seemed to absorb the cool air and suffice to say, his butt was not happy.

He wasn’t sure how long he was sitting there watching the teams go back and forth, but the ball finally stopped being passed around and cheering replaced the rhythmic sound of shoes hitting the court’s floor. TJ was grinning at his team mates who each exchanged claps on the back. Someone who Cyrus recognized from their school basketball team threw the ball to TJ before going to talk with someone nearby.

“Hey,” TJ walked up to the bleachers with the basketball tucked under his arm. His breathing was a bit heavy and Cyrus understood entirely. Just watching the game made him tired.

“Hey. Good game! That’s what I’m suppose to say, right?” Cyrus stood from his spot on the bleachers and stepped down onto the concrete.

 “You’re a pro,” TJ placed the ball down and started digging through a backpack that lay at the bottom of the metal steps. He pulled a steel water bottle from inside, “I didn’t think you liked basketball.”

“Oh I don’t, I just came to ask you if you wanted to hang out,” Cyrus responded, “Basketball’s really confusing though. I get that you have to put the ball in the net more times than the other team, but why? Is there a giant rule book you have to memorize? Do all players have the rule book?”

The edges of TJ’s lips turned upwards into an amused grin, and Cyrus reminded himself he definitely liked smiley TJ more than his frowned up counterpart. “Nah, you kinda just learn as you play, like how far away from the hoop to shoot from.”

“Oh…Yeah I still don’t get it.”

“I could teach you.” TJ said, taking a long drink from his water bottle before placing it back into his backpack and picking up the ball instead. He dribbled it a bit and then bounced it towards Cyrus, who clumsily caught it.

“Oh no, no, no,” Cyrus shook his head, looking down at the ball, “Physical activities are my one true weakness! ...Well one of my weaknesses. And, and sports are like the evil babies of physical activities! No thank you.”

“Okay, but that was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” TJ gave an amused shrug, taking the ball from Cyrus and placing it into his backpack. He removed a scarf and hoodie from one of the bag’s pockets.

“You said you wanted to hang out?” TJ said, holding out the orange and red burberry scarf to Cyrus. He gladly took it and wrapped it around the bottom of his face, a bit confused on how TJ could tell he wasn’t the warmest he could be. The scarf was soft and fuzzy, which reminded Cyrus of his own blankets at home. It smelled of faint cologne and citrus. It was comforting.

“Oh, yeah. There’s this place Andi, Buffy and I go that has the _best_ cider,” Cyrus’ muffled voice explained while TJ pulled the hoodie over his head, “It’s kinda far, but it’s definitely worth it.”

—  
—

“Not to be dramatic, but I’d die for this cider.” Cyrus took a slow drink from the paper cup that sat in front of him, staring at it fondly.

Their trip hadn’t taken nearly as long as TJ had thought it would. Between walking well worn paths, random conversations about stolen bikes, bee stings and basketball, time went by quickly. Now, the two of them sat at one of the small wooden tables available in front of the cider shop by multi-colored apples, empty jam jars and the smell of sweet, sweet pumpkin doughnuts.

“Eh, it’s okay,” TJ smirked slightly, giving a small shrug. Cyrus looked appalled, tugging the scarf that was wrapped around his face down further to reveal his offended expression.

“Are you kidding me? This cider rivals baby taters, and baby taters are my life force!”

TJ found it amusing how passionate Cyrus was about the drink, which obviously had some sort of importance in his life.

“I’m joking Underdog, it’s actually really good.” And TJ honestly thought that. The cider was a pleasant, warm temperature and was smooth as honey, and paired with doughnuts was definitely a match made in heaven which complimented the less-than-desirable weather. 

“Oh good, because I was gonna have to reconsider our friendship,” Cyrus sounded relieved, picking up one of the remaining pumpkin doughnuts and taking a bite of it.

Friendship. TJ let the word bounce around his mind. Of course he had friends. Members from the basketball team were people he considered to be in that category, but this felt different. Surrounded by trees with the last of autumn’s orange tinted leaves clinging to its branches, sipping on warm cider with Cyrus was ten times better than playing with anyone on a court. This felt way more important.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” Cyrus had a confused look on his face.

“Being nice to me,” TJ let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head slightly, lowering his eyes, then looking back up at Cyrus, “Look, I know I’m not the best person to be around...” 

“TJ...”

“Forget it, just pretend I didn’t say anything.” TJ stared down at the table.

“TJ, sure you have some stuff to figure out, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hang out with you,” Cyrus said, turning the doughnut around in his hands, “The first step to improving yourself is recognizing behavior you don’t like… At least that’s what my mom told me. Either way, you’re still my friend TJ. ”

TJ stared at Cyrus, who looked patiently back at him. Cyrus was sincere and TJ could see that. His eyes held some sort of understanding.

“You’re way too nice Underdog,” TJ laughed, just a small huff of air that was barely noticeable, but Cyrus seemed to hear it.

“I try.” Cyrus gave him a reassuring smile in return and TJ couldn’t help but do the same. Cyrus had that effect on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seems rushed, I wanted to get this out before the next episode airs, which happens to be tomorrow.
> 
> What did you guys think of the last episode? I may or may not have cried...


End file.
